Happy together

Let’s start with some old business. My apologies to Becky and Dave. Due to what the New York Times’ correction page might call an editing error, I neglected to note that they . . . had the YLT version of “My Little Corner of the World” as the first dance at our wedding. We were married on October 20, 2001 in Sterling Heights, MI. We live (and lived at that time too) in Carlisle, PA. Our wedding was not long after 9/11. Many of our friends and family decided to drive (long distances) to our wedding. It was a wonderful celebration during an otherwise depressing fall.

On to current events. Ron writes us a long email, with lots of memories, culminating in his wedding day three years ago today. My wife was first introduced to the band by me, and I cautiously sized up her reaction (being a musician myself, and a gigantic music nerd, I’m not ashamed to admit if she didn’t “get it,” the impending marriage was off! (my version of “the test” from the great movie, Diner). Thankfully, she loved it from the start, in particular “Nowhere Near,” which became our song, ringtones and all. We had a small, intimate and beautiful fall wedding in Vermont, my only disappointment being that YLT was not my wedding band, which I seriously considered trying to make happen, until my musician friends convinced me that would never happen! (I’m still convinced “never” is too strong a word). So my disappointment left tucked into my back pocket, we walked down the aisle to the sounds of my former bandmates serenading us with their arrangement of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms.” When the time came for our first dance, what other choice did we have to come full circle than “Nowhere Near”! The way I saw it, hearing YLT as I began my life journey with my true love was the best omen for a lifetime of joy and happiness. Now when I’m away from my wife and I listen to YLT, I see her lovely face before me, and ” . . . If I’m ever that lucky, I won’t have to be so sad.”

And I’ve even got an anecdote of my own: In 2009, we play our second favorite Showbox venue in Seattle, the Sodo, with Jackie-O Motherfucker. No question what the highlight of the night is: The encore, when Howard Kaylan joins us for a trio of Turtles classics.